Kootenay ICE News and Notes

By Jeff Bromley

September 26th, 2002

Milroy begins where he left off – scoring goals

As recent history tells us, DuncanMilroy can score goals.

Leading the 2002 WHL Playoff inpoints, scoring perhaps the biggest goalin club history with the overtime markerthat sent the Rebels packing and the ICEto the Memorial Cup, there is no doubtthat goals are something that Milroy hasno trouble attaining.

That’s why when he’s says he wants theWHL scoring title on his resume at theend of the season you might not want tobet against him.

Kicking off the regular season byhunting down the Prince GeorgeCougars by scores of 4-2 and 4-1 lastweekend, potting three goals and twoassists in the process, Milroy’s role withthe Kootenay ICE this season is simple:lead by doing what you do best, scoring.

“The coaching staff has looked at me tobe the main offensive guy this year andthat will be one of my goals,” saidMilroy. “I’m going to shoot for thescoring race this year and I think I havea legitimate shot at getting it. There’ssome great players in this league and it’sgoing to be a great challenge for me butthat’s one of the goals that I set formyself this year.”

A second round draft pick (37th overall)of the Montreal Canadiens in 2001,Milroy spent the better part ofSeptember in the uniform of the bleu,blanc et rouge at the club’s rookie campand later the main training camp,meeting the Kootenay Ice in PrinceGeorge in time to start the WHL season.

Not disappointed at all in being sentback for another year of seasoning injunior, Milroy at least had the chance toshow the Montreal brass what he cando, which is better than his first protraining camp last season.

“My first camp with the Canadiens lastyear it was tough to judge because I gothurt,” said Milroy. “I ended havingshoulder surgery my first camp, I don’tknow if too many people know aboutthat.”

“I learned a lot the year before just fromsitting there and watching but when yougo out there and play with the guys it’sa big jump (from junior). I definitelylearned a lot more this year. I saw whatit takes to be an NHL pro hockey playerand I’ve still got a lot of room forimprovement but I’m confident I can bethere sometime.”

Sometimes seeing a letdown in aplayer’s game after being sent downfrom the NHL training camps, KootenayCoach Cory Clouston said that factornever materialized with Milroy in PrinceGeorge.

“Duncan had a very good weekend,”said Clouston. “In past history oftenplayers will come back from NHLcamps and there’s a bit of a letdown butwe didn’t see that at all in his game.Duncan’s going to be a very key part ofour success and a leader both on and offthe ice.”For what it’s worth, Milroy wasn’tgoing to let any letdown enter his game.“When I came back from pro camp I satdown with the coaching staff,” saidMilroy.

“Personally, I have a bunch ofindividual goals in mind as well as theteam goals and if I come back and havea bad start to the season, some of thosegoals of mine, I won’t be able to makethem.”

“The coaching staff is expecting me tobe a big leader on this team this year andI also want to be a big leader. I don’thave time to have that lull that somepeople come back and do. I feltconfident going into the weekend gamesand we have a good team back thisseason, it’s going to be exciting hockeyall over again.”

Lofty team goals as well as certainpersonal heights, Milroy pulls nopunches in his assessment of theupcoming season.

“The hardest thing fora team to do is repeat as Memorial Cupchampions but that’s still our final goalthis year.”

“I can honestly say right now that we’regoing to contend this year,” said Milroyof any thoughts the club might not be asgood as they were last season. “We dohave a young team but I think we havethe personnel in the dressing room to doit.”

“From the individual standpoint thatthey (the coaching staff) have for me isthat I’ve just got to work hard and thesuccess will continue.”

Quick Hits – The club cut down itsroster by sending eighteen-yr-old RyanMorse to the Camrose Kodiaks of theAJHL. Kootenay’s roster is set at 22.The three overage spots were decidedthis week when forwards Shaun Norrieand Richard Hamula were dealt toVancouver for third and fifth round draftpicks in 2003. Defensemen GirardDicaire (5th Rd 2002 Tampa Bay),Brennan Evans (free agent) and forwardColin Sinclair (free agent) will make upKootenay’s three overagers . . .

Tomas Plihal has signed a professional contractwith the San Jose Sharks, the NHL clubannounced Monday. Plihal, 19, met theICE on the road in Prince George intime for the club’s Saturday night game.Terms of the deal were not announced .. .

It’s almost like trying to make thetransition from junior high to highschool. How tough are the big kidsgoing to be on you and in the end, willyou even be noticed?

Making the transition from major midgetor junior ‘B’ to the bright lights of theWHL can be easily likened to thechronicles of growing up. Luckilyyou’ve got twenty other teammates whoare going through, or have gonethrough, the same thing.

As one of the eight new faces donningthe uniform of the Memorial CupChampions, eighteen-yr-old forwardRiley Armstrong is about to embark onsuch a trip.

He, along with back up goaltender Jeff Glass, 17, defensemen Jerris Paul, 16 and Derek Price, 17,European freshman Michal Polak, 17and fellow forwards Adam Cracknell,17, Jeremy Schenderling, 16 and BillVandermeer, 18, will all see the phrase‘rookie’ in their profiles this season.

Armstrong, pumped for Saturday’shome-opener against Swift Currentwhen Kootenay raises their threechampionship banners to the Rec./Plexrafters, knows there’ll be an adjustmentperiod to the advanced game of theWHL.

“I think it’ll be pretty big,” saidArmstrong of the transition. “It’s a lotquicker than Midget. They’re reallyquick and the passes are always on thetape. There’s more physical play andsome of the guys are bigger but from‘AAA’ there to here it’s just that muchstronger. It’s more finesse, more skill,more everything – it makes it a betterleague, hopefully I’ll do all right.”

The Saskatoon product played for theSaskatchewan ‘AAA’ Midget YorktonTerriers last season and was listed by theICE during the Mac’s MidgetTournament in Calgary last December.

Posting heady numbers in Midget, 43goals and 34 assists in 42 games lastseason, Armstrong knows his role willbe different in his first kick at the WHLcan.

“Last year I played power-play,penalty-kill, I double-shifted and got 43goals. Obviously this year here, it’sgoing to be an adjustment. I don’t evenknow what line I’ll be playing on yet,”said Armstrong.

“Coach Clouston rotates lines pretty good so I think I’ll get my fair share of ice-time as aneighteen-yr-old and hopefully I can putup the points and play pretty good.”

Along with teammate Bill Vandermeer,who accompanied the club on itsMemorial Cup run last year as anemergency call-up but didn’t see anyplaying time, being eighteen will have itsadvantages over their younger freshmenteammates.

Being a little older and a little wiser also brings with it pressure to perform that the sixteen-yr-olds might not experience.

Couple that with every team in theleague gunning to knock off thedefending champs and Armstrong knowsthe rookie treatment he’ll receive fromopposing clubs.

“I think it’s kind of difficult as a rookie in this league as teams are more pumped any ways,” saidArmstrong, who will have at least seven helpers when it comes time to load the bus for roads trips, an annual rite of passage for WHL rookies.

“There always trying to hit you more, punchyou in the face more and that kind ofstuff. If you’re focused every night,game in and game out, I think I’ll getthrough it.”

And then of course, there’s the name.

Armstrong, along with Vandermeer,come from celebrated WHL bloodlines.Vandermeer, who’s fourth in a line offive brothers, Pete, Dan, Jim, himselfand fifteen-yr-old Ted who has his sightson following the footsteps of brothersDan and Jim, is a bantam draft pick ofthe Rebels, and Armstrong, the youngerbrother to former Rebel ColbyArmstrong, who signed with thePittsburgh Penguins earlier this summer,both have some famous, and sometimesinfamous, skates to fill.

Armstrong maintains there’s a bigdifference between himself and hisfirebrand brother, a first round NHLDraft pick (21st overall) in 2001.

“He’s more of an agitator and in yourface, I’m not really like that. I just liketo score goals.”

“It’s going to be hard to follow in hisfootsteps. He was a first round pick andthat’s difficult to do but it worked outgreat for him and hopefully I can havesome success in the ‘dub too.”

His brother’s unpopularity in these partsaside, the younger Armstrong thinks it’llbe great to see another Armstrong in theleague and in another uniform.

“A lot of people have said things like‘you’re better than your brother’ but Ithink that’s just because they hated himhere so much last year.”

“I know most of the guys off the Rebelsbecause I hung out with my brother inRed Deer this summer and I’m kind offriends with all of them. It’ll be kind offun playing against them and (Red Deerfans) seeing an Armstrong in a Kootenayuniform.”

Of the course there are benefits to beingthe younger brother of a player headedto the ‘show’.

Such as tagging along with him to Pittsburgh and rubbing shoulders with a legend.

Riley received a playing undershirt fromMario Lemieux while on a tour ofPittsburgh with his brother and wore itunder his gear all through ICE trainingcamp.

“I have to wear the Kootenay shirt under there now,” said Armstrong.

The shirt was deemed lucky asArmstrong started scoring in bunches inthe preseason. The new shirt isn’t doingtoo bad either as Armstrong scored hisfirst WHL goal against Prince George inthe season-opener last week.

That said, when one of the greatestplayers ever to lace up skates gives yousomething, it doesn’t exactly get thrownto the back of the closet.